caribsun Posted June 4, 2012 #1 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I guess I have a boring job, I'm a chemist. At dinner or when meeting others when the topic of what you do for a living I get a blank stare or a response of Ohhh. :p No disrespect but if you are a used car salesman or sanitation worker the give and go in the discussion goes on and on. I just get a blank stare. :D Do others find your occupation boring or interesting. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted June 4, 2012 #2 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I am retired and thrilled to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky-elpaso Posted June 4, 2012 #3 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I've always been kind of a science nerd so I would find what you do interesting. Try telling someone you're a secretary - lots of people still see clerical jobs as below a "professional". :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starry Eyes Posted June 4, 2012 #4 Share Posted June 4, 2012 DH is a retired chemist. Chemistry was my undergrad major. so, neither of us would find your job boring. I'm in medicine, and I do not want to discuss my work while vacationing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QShip Posted June 4, 2012 #5 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I find the different reactions fascinating when I tell them either I am a retired attorney or retired judge. Aren't people funny? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jana60 Posted June 4, 2012 #6 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I guess I have a boring job, I'm a chemist. At dinner or when meeting others when the topic of what you do for a living I get a blank stare or a response of Ohhh. :p No disrespect but if you are a used car salesman or sanitation worker the give and go in the discussion goes on and on. I just get a blank stare. :DDo others find your occupation boring or interesting. :) I'm a physician. Some find my profession "Too" interesting. When sitting at a table with mostly seniors, I avoid mentioning work. After a certain age folks love to talk about their health. :rolleyes: Most of the time I enjoy talking about topics of interest to those of us in the health fields so when there are others of similar work...nurses, hospital workers...etc, I like to hear how things are where thy work, especially in other countries. PS...I don't find Chemistry boring. Most people just don't understand what you do and indeed there is alot of variability in the job description of people with Chemistry degrees or "Chemists". Some work for labs others for large corporations exploring for oil. Other areas as well.... Explain a little and you will find people have a variety of interests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jana60 Posted June 4, 2012 #7 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I find the different reactions fascinating when I tell them either I am a retired attorney or retired judge. Aren't people funny? I bet you get a generally more favorable response to "retired judge" than to "retired attorney" I suspect some folks don't realize the judges were attorneys first. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luddite Posted June 4, 2012 #8 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I'm certain that you get a better reaction than a proctologist gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starbright Posted June 4, 2012 #9 Share Posted June 4, 2012 My late husband was a priest in the Church of England. He always tried to avoid disclosing this to our table companions because it was a complete conversation stopper. People always immediately felt that they had to be really careful what they said, which wasn't the case at all from his point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted June 4, 2012 #10 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I wouldn't put down your occupation. For some they will be very interested and others won't and that's probably true of most occupations. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisiamc Posted June 4, 2012 #11 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I guess I have a boring job, I'm a chemist. At dinner or when meeting others when the topic of what you do for a living I get a blank stare or a response of Ohhh. :p No disrespect but if you are a used car salesman or sanitation worker the give and go in the discussion goes on and on. I just get a blank stare. :DDo others find your occupation boring or interesting. :) In your shoes, I would be tempted to say "I'm a tax collector for the IRS. Did you know, I'm actually getting paid to come on this cruise, because of the large number of passengers who don't report their casino winnings." Then when the conversation fades to horrified silence and everyone at the table looks shifty, I would say, "No, I'm really a chemist!" :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michmike Posted June 4, 2012 #12 Share Posted June 4, 2012 you COULD tell folks that you're just a chemist... BUT you work for the Medellin Cartel in their drug labs *L* I typically get some strange looks when I tell folks that I spent the last 35 yrs in jail and prison.....but then add that that was only as an employee (running correctional kitchens). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langley Cruisers Posted June 4, 2012 #13 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I guess I have a boring job, I'm a chemist. ...I just get a blank stare. :D You kow what? Honestly, I don't think I've ever met a chemist and I venture to guess that not many others have either. They are probably just confused or momentarily stunned. It's not disrespect and your job is not boring, I'm sure. Why don't you take more initiative and open up about your work? Seriously, I bet it's fascinating. You must always be looking at things in a different way than most people do. I'm a baker and one of my former co-workers took a trip to Europe once. On a bus tour, people were sharing about their professions and he was actually nervous about mentioning his. I remember he said others were an astronaut, a lawyer, a banker, etc. When he said "I'm a baker.", everyone ooooed and ahhed! Seriously! You never know what will spark someone's interest. :) . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbwex Posted June 4, 2012 #14 Share Posted June 4, 2012 People really want to talk about themselves. If you are a chemist, astronaut, or whatever, you will do better to constantly ask people about their job, hobbies, children, etc. Oddly, if you do nothing but ask about them all night, and never tell them a single thing about yourself, at the end of the evening, they will say that you were a most interesting person and that they loved talking with you all evening -- even though you never said a darned thing about yourself! They should, of course, ask about what you do. The truth of it is that chemistry is interesting, but most people do not realize that. As I said, most people really only want to talk about themselves. Human nature is human nature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted June 4, 2012 #15 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Rather than disrespsect, I suspect it is exactly the opposite. The blank stare is "Wow, a scientist. I am so out of my depth here." Too many of us are better versed in the arts and letters than the sciences. Perhaps after you say you are a chemist, you might just a bit more and say I am involved with ******** and mention whatever it is you feel comfortable commenting about the specific type of projects on which you work. Many doctors, lawyers, accountants don't like saying what they do as seems everyone then has a professional issue/question they want you to advise about. DH tries to avoid talking about his work when we are away. Everyone has an 'issue' and he's on vacation. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylandtk Posted June 4, 2012 #16 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I too am a chemist, but I always got the best responses by saying "I am a chemist, which just means I cook and bake using strange ingredients with really long names." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted June 4, 2012 #17 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I too am a chemist, but I always got the best responses by saying "I am a chemist, which just means I cook and bake using strange ingredients with really long names." Great answer. :) That has to draw a smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hstergo Posted June 4, 2012 #18 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Although it's not as glamorous as you would think I am an actor in movies, T.V., and commercials. And yes you have seen me, I always get asked does that person know me because I kinda look familial to them like maybe we met before. It annoys my son but I always find it fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suitcasefull Posted June 4, 2012 #19 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Although it's not as glamorous as you would think I am an actor in movies, T.V., and commercials. And yes you have seen me, I always get asked does that person know me because I kinda look familial to them like maybe we met before. It annoys my son but I always find it fun. If I saw someone I thought was on tv or in movies, I wouldn't ask them anything, assuming they were on vacation and wouldn't want to be bothered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suitcasefull Posted June 4, 2012 #20 Share Posted June 4, 2012 People really want to talk about themselves. If you are a chemist, astronaut, or whatever, you will do better to constantly ask people about their job, hobbies, children, etc. Oddly, if you do nothing but ask about them all night, and never tell them a single thing about yourself, at the end of the evening, they will say that you were a most interesting person and that they loved talking with you all evening -- even though you never said a darned thing about yourself! They should, of course, ask about what you do. The truth of it is that chemistry is interesting, but most people do not realize that. As I said, most people really only want to talk about themselves. Human nature is human nature. So true...........except for those of us who are the ones asking questions, knowing people will only remember the friendly conversations. Have "friends" (really, acquaintances) who'll say we've been friends for years but who actually know very little about my life. It's a skill one develops over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Ellen Posted June 4, 2012 #21 Share Posted June 4, 2012 We sail with a group of cruising friends. Among the occupations are microbiologists, clergy, the proverbial rocket scientist, fashion design, computers, finance, architecture..... and of course others are retired. A well rounded mixture that keeps discussions interesting. To me it says more about your table mates if they give you a blank stare than it does about your job. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachbum53 Posted June 4, 2012 #22 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I once met a guy (not on a cruise) that is a county employee, and his job is to go out and pick up road kill. Now that's definitely NOT something you'd want to discuss with tablemates on a cruise, whether anyone thought it was an interesting job or not.:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueboss Posted June 4, 2012 #23 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I don't like talking about my job at all, the most I say is I work for a global food manufacturer. If I go into too many details, I get really stupid questions like, "Do they REALLY put _______ in this product?" The urban legends are alive and well! I have no concerns about letting my kids eat any product this company makes. When other passengers mention they do such and such, sometimes I will ask questions, if it's something I want to know more about. As long as it was in 'laymans' terms and not so detailed that my eyes glaze over, you would have my attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowshoeCat Posted June 4, 2012 #24 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I'm not good at small talk - I'd rather discuss people's jobs than their kids (but you can always ask me about my cat!:D) My friend once asked me if I was used to my job being a conversation stopper. As I said, I'm not good at small talk. I'm a petite woman, look younger than I am, and when I tell people I'm an air traffic controller, I either get a look of "oh, cool!", or I get the feeling they're looking me up and down and making some judgements about my suitability for the job. I'm all for educating people about how the system works, and I don't mind a few questions, but invariably I get the stories of lost luggage, delays, and the new "we were on that plane that sat on the runway for 3 hours" (Probably not. Taxiway or ramp, maybe, but not the runway ;)) I can retire in two years. I can't wait to tell people I'm a retired controller! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueboss Posted June 4, 2012 #25 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I once met a guy (not on a cruise) that is a county employee, and his job is to go out and pick up road kill. Now that's definitely NOT something you'd want to discuss with tablemates on a cruise, whether anyone thought it was an interesting job or not.:eek: LOL so true! Some job descriptions are best saved for the Lido and private conversations. I just hope they paid the guy well for that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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